Mass Effect: Incubus
by Subject Incubus
Summary: Alexander Gabriel was taken from his parents and turned into the ultimate assassin. Can he hunt down the murderous scientist that created him? Mass Effect OC Pairings: OC/Jack Mshep/Miranda
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I: A Childhood Shattered

Alexander Nikolai Gabriel was three years old. He had long, straight, dark brown hair, and vibrant, light green eyes. Growing up on Terra Nova in the year 2164, he lived a charmed, simple life. He and his parents, Richard and Ivana, lived on the outskirts of the main settlement, with a scenic view of the ocean. Richard was an expert in genetic medicine who came from London. Ivana was from Moscow, but she went to school at Oxford, where she met Richard, and the two soon married. Alex knew little of Earth, having been born and raised on Terra Nova. Unfortunately, his charmed life was about to take a drastic hit.

Richard and Ivana had a rival named Jonathan Heston. Heston was a ruthless man, but he was a charmer, with a pension for successful results, regardless of whatever means he used to attain them. Heston was planning revenge against the Gabriels, and his newest project had given him a method in which to enact it. While he was only three, Alex had already displayed unbelievable biotic prowess. Heston saw the young boy as an ideal test subject for his latest work: Project Incubus. All he needed was a way to take the boy. He logged on to a private communications link and contacted Cerberus.

Alex was playing on the beach, while his parents set up a picnic. All of the sudden, the sky went dark. Shuttles flew down, dropping Cerberus troops. Shots were fired and bombs went off. Ivana rushed to grab Alex. Alex ran frantically, but he tripped on a small rock. Ivana ran, but she was grabbed by a Cerberus trooper. She screamed, as she struggled in terror. "Please, I have a husband, a chi-". Her words were cut off as the soldier shoved the omni-blade through her chest. Richard roared with rage as his wife's lifeless body hit the sand, but his charge was cut short as his head exploded from a distant sniper. Alex ran towards his mother's body, crying as the Cerberus troopers picked him up off the ground and put him on the shuttle. The young boy didn't try to escape. He sat down as a Cerberus trooper strapped him in. His face bore an expression of grief, shock, and acceptance of his fate. His life had been changed forever...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II: The Flight to Noveria

Alex walked out onto the shuttle bay of the Cerberus Vessel. The troops were surprised by the young boy's compliance. Heston came in to greet Alex. "Hello there, Alex." He turned his smirk into a look of concern, but the boy knew it was a lie. "I am dreadfully sorry about your parents, but I can assure you that one day, you will thank me." He pinched Alex's cheek as tears rolled down. Alex had no wails or screams like a typical three year old. He had only silence and tears. Jonathan motioned to one of the soldiers. "Lock the boy in his _private_ cabin, will you?" As Alex was escorted to his "cabin", Heston made a call to the Illusive Man.

"What is our progress, Heston?" The Illusive Man lit a cigarette. Heston shuddered. He could never tell if his boss was pleased or disappointed. "The test subject has been retrieved, and I have compiled a list of scientists, security, and trainers. Unfortunately, the best trainers are aliens. I know that we try to use humans only, but if we want an unrivaled covert super soldier, than we will need the best trainers available." The Illusive Man grimaced. "You may utilize alien trainers, but make sure that they do not become _liabilities_." Heston gulped. "Of course. Thank you, sir." Heston closed the com link and alerted one of his advisers. "Get me Thaetrius Correllian, Pak Ferricks, and Nerya T'Sanis.

Alex's cabin was quite small. If anything, it was a closet with a bed. The door latched behind him and the lock clicked. He was alone, with no mother or father to give him comfort. He curled up on the bed, crying himself to sleep.

Morning arrived, and there was knocking at the door. Alex's eyes shot open, and Heston entered with a woman behind him. Her face was remorseful, filled with grief for the boy's treatment. Heston spoke up. "This is my wife, Sandra. She will escort you to your new quarters here on Noveria." He turned to her menacingly. "Don't get to soft over the boy. If you try to_ save him_, I will not hesitate to kill you."

**Author's Note: I know these first two chapters are short, but the rest will be at least twice as long. If you have any comments or reviews that do not regard the length of the chapters, please send them to me. I appreciate constructive criticism.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III: Strength through Torture

Three years had passed since Alex was taken to Noveria. The trainers had finally arrived, as Alex was just barely old enough to begin, but they had been made unaware of anything happening in the labs. Thaetrius Correllian was turian sniper, and an elite member of the Black Nova Assassins. The Black Nova was an order of righteous killers, and Heston had told them that he was producing the ultimate recruit for them. Pak Ferricks was an expert salarian hacker, and he was a former member of the Salarian Special Tasks Group. Nerya T'Sanis was a skilled biotic, and she was an asari commando as well. This day, however, was not a day for Alex to train. It was a day for his genetic enhancement. In other words, it was a day for torture. The boy was escorted to a lab and strapped to a table. Heston walked in, wearing complete surgical garb. "Insert the IVs." He leaned in towards Alex. "This will hurt a bit, but it will make you stronger." Heston put in a sequence on his omni-tool. All of a sudden, grey liquid went through the IVs. Alex screamed, convulsed, and twisted in agony as alien DNA entered his blood stream. The other scientists did not know where the DNA had been acquired, but Heston did.

Meanwhile, aliens of numerous species, sent by batarian slavers, were being led into genetic processing chambers, run by psychopaths that Heston had bailed out of prisons. The chambers had pods, which had been purchased from the Collectors. Krogan, asari, turians, drell, and many others were placed in the pods, where they were processed into grey genetic paste. The paste was then sent to labs, where genetic traits were picked by Heston himself, and then placed into the IVs to be sent to Alex's blood stream. Every room was soundproofed, so that no one could hear the screams. Everyone but Heston was blind to the atrocity being committed, and with the screams muffled, no one could suspect a thing.

Alex woke up the next morning, feeling strange. His new quarters had a bed, a desk, a small gaming console for entertainment, and even a private restroom with a full wall mirror. He was enraged with everything that had happened in the last three years. Raising his fists, he slammed them down on the desk. In fact, they didn't land _on _the desk, but instead they went _through_ the desk. The wooden desk shattered. Alex was shocked, realizing that the krogan DNA in his body had given him immense strength. He sat on his bed as the effects of the drell DNA kicked in, as he was faced with a perfect flashback of his parents' death. As the memory replayed vividly through his mind, he cried out for his deceased parents. A couple guards entered the room, attempting to restrain the boy. In a fit of fury, Alex released a large biotic wave, tearing the guards apart and bathing him in a pool of blood. He went to the wall in his room, dripping with tears and blood, and he began to write on the walls:

_Mommy and Daddy, where are you? I'm trapped here all by myself. Help me please…_

He continued to smear similar messages in blood on the wall, until Heston came in, clapping sadistically at the sight of the blood pool. "It's time for your training, though you're already making me quite proud. Now take a shower, and my wife will take you to see Thaetrius." Alex slowly walked to his bathroom, whilst glaring at Heston with contempt. Hopefully, training would be better…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV: A Light in the Darkness

Thaetrius sighed, sitting on the weapons bench in the facility's shooting range. _How the hell am I supposed to teach a six year old human child how to fight?! _The mere thought made his mandibles twitch out of sheer irritation. Thaetrius Correllian was a tall, slender turian. While he was a war hero back on Palaven, his greatest achievements did not belong to his career in the turian military. His greatest work was attributed to a multi-species paramilitary group, known as the Black Nova. The Black Nova was not your typical mercenary organization. They were righteous killers, and one could easily argue that they were actually just an organized group of vigilantes. It was a highly structured, efficient, and secretive organization. It was so secretive, in fact, that most believed that the Black Nova was little more than a myth. The group's history alone was difficult to believe. The Black Nova was formed more than 200,000 years ago, constantly being preserved by the species of each cycle in order to combat the Reapers, though it trained its soldiers and maintained galactic stability in times of peace. When the advanced species was harvested, the lesser, often subservient ones, took over the organization. Thaetrius wanted to believe that this child was the secret weapon his superiors had been waiting for. _We only have about 20 years before they return. If this "super-soldier-to-be" doesn't cut it, then what hope will our cycle have against the Rea- _Thaetrius' thoughts were interrupted as Alex entered the shooting range.

The small boy walked slowly up to the turian, trembling with fear. Thaetrius knelt on one knee, making a small smile to comfort the boy, as well as holding out a hand. "Hello there. My name is Thaetrius, and you must be Alex." Alex nodded. "Yes, Mister Correllian." The boy's formal and cold address made him nervous. _What are they doing to this kid to make him act this way? Most human children are bouncing of the walls with energy. _"Please, just call me Thaetrius." Remembering the briefing he received stating that Alex's parents had died in a shuttle crash, he added. "You can call me dad. Would that help?" Alex's face brightened up as he hugged Thaetrius and started his combat training.

Thaetrius and Alex finished the training a few hours later, leaving the turian remarkably impressed. "So, how's the kid?" Thaetrius turned around to face a slender, young asari: Nerya T'Sanis, the biotic trainer. "He's already hitting the targets, but you'll have to tell me about his biotics." Nerya raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You're kidding, right? Is he hitting bullseyes?" Thaetrius nodded. "Don't keep him waiting. Also, letting him call you 'mom' might help." Nerya remembered the briefing she had received. "Okay. I'll keep that in mind."

Two hours had passed when Nerya entered the lounge where she and Thaetrius had met. "His biotics are amazing, if not abnormal. I wonder what those scientists are doing." Pak Ferricks, the salarian hacker, gave a quick response. "It's probably best not to know, but they showed me his mathematical assessments. He's already able to solve advanced algebraic equations. His mental capacity has clearly been enhanced." Thaetrius was shocked. This was all too good to be true. "I, for one, would like to know what they're doing. I'm no scientist, but I doubt those results were achieved ethically." Pak shook his head. "Don't worry so much. Also, should I let him call me 'Uncle Pak'?" Nerya and Thaetrius grinned, trying to contain there laughter. "It wouldn't hurt.", Nerya added.


End file.
